NDA candidate CP Radhakrishnan has won the vice-presidential polls replacing and would be India's 15th vice president when he is sworn in to the post. He would also be the ex-officio Chairman of the Upper House of the Parliament of India.
Article 64 of the Constitution says that the Vice President serves as the ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
Radhakrishnan (67), is currently the Maharashtra governor and is a seasoned leader with an RSS background and decades-long stint first in the Jana Sangh and then the BJP in Tamil Nadu.
The election of the new Vice-President, necessitated due to the sudden resignation of Jagdeep Dhankhar on July 21, almost two years before his term was to end citing health reasons, became a closely watched affair.
Despite the numbers giving an edge to the NDA, the Constitutional post was given primacy by the Opposition INDIA Bloc calling it an ‘ideological battle’. However, the outcome of the vice-presidential contest was a foregone conclusion even before the polls were announced.
The contest could have been avoided had the Congress-led INDIA bloc opted to support the NDA candidate in a battle it was deemed to lose even before it began. It chose otherwise.
The high-stakes elections concluded on September 9 with Radhakrishan securing 452 votes and Reddy receiving 300 votes in a poll where the majority mark was 377.
No dedicated salary for V-P
However, amid the power-packed elections, what is noteworthy is that the post does not come with a dedicated salary. Instead, the vice president is paid for serving as the ex officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Parliament.
Under the Salaries and Allowances of Officers of Parliament Act, 1953, there is no separate provision for a Vice President’s salary. A Vice-President is the only official who does not get any salary and emoluments of the designated post.
The remuneration and benefits are tied to the office of the Rajya Sabha chairman, a role that carries a monthly salary of Rs 4 lakh, according to officials.
They explained that there is no provision for a fixed salary for the vice president. “There is no provision for a specific salary for the vice president; instead, they receive remuneration and benefits commensurate with their role as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha,” reported news agency PTI, quoting an official.
The Rajya Sabha chairman is entitled to a salary of Rs 4 lakh per month.
If the Vice President steps in as the acting President of India, they cease to function as Rajya Sabha chairman and instead receive the President’s pay and allowances.
Perks of Vice-President
Beyond salary, the Vice President enjoys a wide range of perks, including: official residence, medical care, free air and train travel, landline and mobile services, personal staff, and security.
Former Vice Presidents are entitled to a monthly pension of nearly Rs 2 lakh, accommodation in a Type-8 bungalow, and staff support that includes a secretary, an additional secretary, a personal assistant, a physician, a nursing officer, and four attendants. In the event of their death, the spouse may continue to reside in a smaller Type-7 house for life.
After resigning, Jagdeep Dhankhar applied for a pension as an ex-legislator of Rajasthan.
Dhankhar, who served as a Congress MLA from Kishangarh between 1993 and 1998, had been drawing this pension until July 2019, when he became the Governor of West Bengal.
Former vice-president of India Jagdeep Dhankhar has applied for pension as a former legislator in Rajasthan, officials said.
Dhankhar, who represented the Kishangarh Assembly constituency as a Congress MLA from 1993 to 1998, received pension as a former legislator until July 2019.
It was discontinued after he was appointed the governor of West Bengal. With his tenure as the Vice-President ending following his resignation citing "health issues” on July 21, Dhankhar applied afresh to the Rajasthan Assembly secretariat seeking resumption of his pension as a former MLA, according to officials.
The secretariat has initiated the process, and the pension will be applicable from the date his resignation as the vice-president was accepted, they said.
The pension for a former MLA in Rajasthan starts at Rs 35,000 per month for a single term, and goes up with additional terms and age.
Those above 70 receive a 20 per cent hike. Dhankhar, now 74, is entitled to Rs 42,000 pension per month as a former legislator, the officials said.
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